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Chapter 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Puberty
Friendship, Fitting In, and Social Pressure
Religion
Family Conflict
Summary
Analysis
Margaret is the last to arrive at the club meeting. Janie Loomis, Gretchen Potter, and Nancy are already there. They eat cookies and drink soda, and when Gretchen snags six Oreos, Nancy asks Gretchen how much weight she gained over the summer. Gretchen puts most of the cookies back. Then, Janie asks if anyone saw Laura Danker today. The other girls giggle, and Nancy says that Laura is “the big blonde with the big you know whats.” Margaret says Laura is pretty, but Nancy snorts that Laura has a horrible reputation. She goes behind the A&P with Evan and Moose and has been wearing a bra since fourth grade. She probably has her period already.
The fact that Nancy feels the need to police Gretchen’s cookie intake suggests that Gretchen might be heavier than her friends—and that Nancy uses this fact to try to control Gretchen. Then, when Nancy goes on to talk disparagingly about Laura, Nancy looks even more concerned about other people’s appearance and behavior. It may even seem threatening to her that Margaret insists Laura is pretty—what’s more important to Nancy is that Laura is supposedly so popular with boys and so much more developed.
Themes
Nancy asks if Margaret has gotten her period yet, and Margaret says she hasn’t. Nancy says that none of them have, either. Margaret is thrilled to not be behind the other girls. Then, Gretchen says it’s time to get down to business. First, Nancy insists they have to come up with a name. Gretchen, Janie, and Nancy argue over a name and then discuss Mr. Benedict. He’s cute, but Nancy notes that he stared at Laura, like all men do. Margaret asks if they really think Laura looks like she does on purpose. Nancy sighs, “Oh, Margaret,” making Margaret feel horrible.
When the subject of periods comes up, Margaret’s relief shows that she just wants to fit in with her friends and develop at the same rate. The fact that Nancy asked in the first place suggests that her concerns are similar. Then, note that Nancy is the one to claim that Mr. Benedict stared at Laura. Nobody backs her up, which makes it impossible to verify. Margaret shows some independence by suggesting that being more developed isn’t Laura’s fault; however, Nancy silences Margaret’s pushback by making her feel bad.
Themes
In response to Mr. Benedict’s questions, Gretchen wrote that male teachers are strict, reasoning that if he thinks the kids are afraid of him, he’ll make a point to be nice. Janie, though, says the questions are to judge if the students are normal. Margaret is afraid her answers won’t make her look normal, but Nancy interrupts with the perfect name for their club: the Four PTS’s. PTS stands for “Pre-Teen Sensation.” Gretchen and Janie like the name, so they vote to make the name official. Nancy insists they all need “sensational” secret names, like Alexandra or Kimberly. She names Margaret Mavis.
Again, Margaret’s biggest concern in Farbrook is seeming normal—to her teachers and to her peers. Now, she rethinks everything she’s said and written in the hopes that nothing makes her stand out. Nancy shows how much power she has over her friends when she assigns Margaret a subpar name. Margaret seems resigned to being “Mavis,” suggesting. she wants to earn Nancy’s approval.
Themes
Nancy reminds everyone that the club is secret and insists that everyone make up a rule. Her rule is that everyone has to wear a bra. Margaret blushes and notices that Janie looks down; Janie probably doesn’t wear a bra yet, either. Gretchen decides that the first person to get her period has to tell the others everything—especially what it feels like. Janie decides they have to keep a “Boy Book,” which is a ranked list of the boys they like. Margaret’s rule isn’t as good as the other girls’ rules; she suggests that they meet on a certain day of the week.
Nancy values conformity, hence requiring her friends to wear bras to attend meetings. Also, she might be self-conscious about her own bra—and if everyone’s in the same boat, she won’t feel so alone. For Margaret, though, this poses a dilemma since she doesn’t wear a bra yet. Nancy’s rule means that if Margaret wants to stay in the club, she’ll have to mature faster than necessary.
Themes
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Gretchen can’t meet on Tuesdays or Thursdays, since she has Hebrew school. Janie asks if Margaret goes to Hebrew school—and Nancy says that Margaret doesn’t even go to Sunday school. Margaret says that she isn’t any religion since her parents don’t have a religion. Feeling silly, Margaret explains that Dad was Jewish and Mom was Christian. Nancy’s face lights up, and Margaret is thrilled that her friends are interested in anything she has to say. She tells them that Mom’s parents didn’t want her to marry a Jewish man, so they refused to accept Dad.
Finally, Margaret gives readers insight into why religion isn’t a big deal for her: her parents have purposefully raised her to think that way. Tellingly, Margaret implies that she only shares her parents’ story because her friends seem interested. To her, it’s not a particularly interesting story because it’s just normal—but if it earns her friends’ approval, it’s worth sharing.
Themes
While Grandma wasn’t thrilled about a Christian daughter-in-law, she accepted it. Mom and Dad eloped, and that’s why they don’t have a religion. Gretchen says it makes sense, but Janie asks how Margaret will know whether to join the Y or the Jewish Community Center. Margaret shrugs—her family might not join either—but Nancy insists that everyone in town chooses one. Margaret changes the subject and the girls decide to meet on Mondays. Next Monday, they’ll bring their Boy Books and get their bras checked.
Janie and Nancy make the case that in Farbrook, a person’s religion is a huge part of their identity—it not only dictates whether they identify as Christian or Jewish, but it also dictates where a person spends their free time. To Margaret, declining to choose doesn’t seem like a big deal, but her friends’ insistence suggests that Margaret isn’t going to fit in unless she chooses a recreation center—and a religion.
Themes
Margaret spends all of supper wondering how to ask Mom if she can wear a bra. Finally, when Mom comes in to kiss Margaret goodnight, Margaret says she wants to wear one. Mom asks why, but Margaret hides her face and says she just does. With a sigh, Mom says they’ll go shopping on Saturday. Once Mom leaves, Margaret tells God that she asked for a bra. She begs him to help her grow so she can look like everyone else. She also asks whether she’s supposed to be Christian or Jewish; all her new friends belong to either the Y or the Jewish Community Center.
It's a mark of Margaret’s trusting relationship with Mom that she feels comfortable asking for a bra. At the same time, Margaret seems to feel embarrassed, suggesting that mature subjects bring new awkwardness into their close relationship. Mom nevertheless makes the conversation fairly painless by agreeing without pushing for an explanation. When Margaret talks to God, she shows that her priorities have suddenly shifted. She wants to fit in—and that means growing breasts, as well as knowing which religion she is.
Themes
